Snapshot Photos via Heather Morton
This week Heather Morton has a great post were she talks with photographer Daniel Ehrenworth about the “raw, snapshot” aesthetic of some photographers and it’s translation to the world of commercial advertising.
Though I wouldn’t describe my photos as ‘snapshotty’ I do try to capture a more authentic moment that is less ‘lifestyled’ more ‘slice of life’ for lack of a better description. This loose interpretation of the style and its application to the commercial world has often crossed my mind when working with clients and is something I think Daniel sums up pretty good here.
“The scenario given to you by an AD is they want you to produce a photograph for their campaign that has a really raw, gritty, snapshotty, unwashed kind of look……But perhaps we should think a little less about what the images look like and perhaps more about what the instructions actually mean. Are they talking about Nan Goldin or Robert Frank or Terry Richardson or Roger Ballen or Larry Clark or your aunt Joany’s snaps from her vacation in Brazil?
Do they want raw-snapshotty (shitty looking) or raw-snapshotty (the unwashed beauty of the world just as god intended it to be rendered on film at that given moment) or raw-snapshotty (appears to be taken by someone who probably wasn’t even looking through the viewfinder)?
Because all three are kinda awesome and all three come with a huge amount of codes and conventions – possibly even more than your typical stylized slick ad shot.”
Thanks to Heather Morton Art Buyer for the post….
Tags: blog, Canadian Photographers, Heather Morton Art Buyer, photography inspiration, photography style, snapshot photography style